The case of a missing Minnesota mother and her cancer-stricken son has rekindled the debate over parents who reject conventional medical treatments for their sick children because of religious beliefs.

Authorities nationwide searched Wednesday for Colleen Hauser and her 13-year-old son, Daniel, who has Hodgkin's lymphoma. The family refuses chemotherapy for Daniel. The two disappeared from rural Sleepy Eye, Minn., after a doctor's appointment and court-ordered X-ray Monday showed his cancer had grown. They did not show up for a court hearing Tuesday.

"We've got to find this child, so we can get him into medical treatment," said James Olson, Brown County attorney.

Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg ruled the mother in contempt of court and issued a warrant for her arrest. He ordered that Daniel be turned over to Brown County Family Services and gave the agency the authority to consent to "appropriate and necessary" treatment.

Sheriff Rich Hoffmann said Wednesday his department is investigating all leads in the disappearance.

The Hausers are Catholic, but also believe in the natural healing philosophy of the Nemenhah Band, a Missouri-based religious group that believes in methods advocated by some American Indians. Colleen Hauser testified in court that she believed chemotherapy is a form of poison and that she had been trying to "starve" Daniel's cancer with supplements, an organic and sugar-free diet and high-alkaline water.

Diabetes death in Wis.

In Wisconsin, Leilani Neumann, 41, stood trial Wednesday, accused in the death of her 11-year-old daughter last year. The Weston, Wis., woman is charged with second-degree homicide in the death of Madeline Neumann, who died March 23, 2008, as a result of untreated diabetes. Father Dale Neumann's trial is scheduled for July.

The Neumanns said they believed prayer would save Leilani.

In testimony Wednesday, Jennifer Peaslee, who was a member of the Neumanns' Bible study group, said she saw Madeline the morning of her death, lying unconscious on a bathroom floor.

Peaslee said she prayed with the family and read Scriptures around the girl, convinced God was going to heal her.

A non-profit group called Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty is tracking five criminal cases in the USA involving children denied health care because of religious beliefs. There are also cases in Oregon, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Since 1983, the group, which says it works to stop abusive religious and cultural practices, has tracked 66 cases.

"It's a small number of children compared to the total problem of child abuse and neglect in this country, but they still deserve the right to live," said Rita Swan, the group's president.

Swan, a former Christian Scientist, lost her son to meningitis in 1977 after forgoing medical care in favor of prayer. She left the church after her son's death and became an activist on the issue.

Most states have legal exemptions that provide some protection to parents who withhold medical care on religious grounds, Swan said. Those laws often discourage prosecutors from filing charges, she said. "They are hard to prosecute, too, for other reasons," she said. "These are grief-stricken parents, and they can be sympathetic defendants. They love their child, and they were doing what they thought was in their child's best interest."

Rights over a child

In Minnesota, Daniel's father, Anthony Hauser, said Wednesday he hadn't heard from his wife or son since they left. He told the judge Tuesday that he last saw his wife Monday night, when she told him she was going to leave "for a time."

He said he thinks his wife got scared that Brown County authorities would use X-ray results to get custody of Daniel. "Why does someone believe they have the right over your child?" he asked.

Anthony Hauser doesn't oppose chemotherapy "if it's a necessary thing," but he said doctors use it too much. Daniel Hauser quit chemo after a single treatment.

The judge has said the boy, who has trouble reading and writing, has "limited capacity" to understand his illness and the treatment for it.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes. The survival rate for people under age 20 is 91%, according to the National Cancer Institute.

"Chemo and possibly radiation are what's going to cure him of the disease, there's no question about that," said David Rosenthal, professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

A child who isn't treated will almost certainly die from the disease, says Rebecca Johnson, a pediatric oncologist at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Rosenthal said alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massage and good nutrition can help, but they shouldn't be used alone, he said.

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